Morning journal and courier., 1887-04-06
WORSHIP OF THE MOON.
Traces of superstition Remaining over From Medieval Days.
 IIorr, Raza

Traces of superstition Remaining
 over From Medieval Days.
 From Harpers Bazar.l
 How startled many of us would be if we were forbidden the rites of the Christian church on the plea that we were still heathen, worshiping at the shrine of false idols-we who go with neighbors to offer prayer and praise and hear the doc Urine expounded weekly by the clergyman of the parish, who belong to the General Charitable, the Dorcas and the Old Ladies' societies, who sacrifice our dime to the offer tory and subscribe to the African mission, to the new lectern and the church music Yet that such is indeed the fact we should not be surprised to hear if we are people who are at all particular about seeing the new moon over our right shoulder; if we turn a piece of silver in our pockets for luck at first beholding it; if we close our eyes rather than see it through the window, and grope our way out doors in that condition; if we regard it as fortunate and portent Of line weather to see the new moon in the old moons arms, or with it's horns turned up ward; if we consider it 8 sure sign of a months bad weather when the new moon falls on a Saturday; if we bow to it when we first see it, expecting the consequence either of gift or the fulfllment of wish pressed while lowing if we refuse to have our pigs killed when the moon is on the wane, lest the pork shrink in the pot; if we are careful as to the especial phase of the moon with regard to the time of felling our lumber-in short, if we follow any of the customs or hold any of the notions which the Greek girls followed or held concerning Diana, or the Persian women felt obligatory in their reverence for the horned ashtoreth.
 It is with different sort of worship. su- perstition remaining over from mediAval days, but yet Christian one, if we can call any superstition a Christian one, that when a fire of soft coal refuses to burn, we stand the poker up before it, thus making the sign of the cross with the poker and the top of the grate, and by that means com manding the evil pcwefs of fire to obey, the fire really obeying the law that creates draught through the heating of the poker and the consequent upward passage of the air. There is, however, no such philosoph- ical explanation of the habit of making the sign of the cross over the foot that goes s'to sleep," as the phrase runs.
 The cross is the subject or many triv- ial notion that should spare it, remember ing it's terrible and sacred history. Ia one legend of the sort it is said that lightning never strikes the elder, because the cross was made of it, and in another that the aspen al- ways shivers in ecolleetion of having given it's wood to make the cross, showing on it's face that one or the other statement must be incorrect and therefore objectionable, as tri- fling with things outside the pale of trifes. With as much reason do people speak of the red bud as the Judas tree, the tree on which the wretch hanged himself, or declare that the willow weeps because it furnished rods for the scourge of the Saviour.
 In themselves of course these fancies ara no worse than thousand ethero, such as | those which assure you that you should not for the first time go into your new house by the back door unless you would invite dis 1 aster to enter with you; that it is unlucky to | have a swarm of bees come to you; and that your bees will not thrive anyway if once made the subject of the least dispute; and that they will cease to gather honey if they are not told of the death that occurs in the house and given their bit of crape for mourn l ing. Anyone, moreover, is as certainly en- gagged ln the practice of the black art and in offering obedience to unknown powers as if | invoking the countenance of the minor dei- | ties that used to be supposed to rule the days | of the week who regard the old sayings con corning the days on which one's nails should be cut; Monday, for healthi Tuesday, for